The Pirate & Princess Party will be held on eight nights in August and early
September (down from 13 nights this past winter), running August 11, 15, 18,
21, 24, 28, 31 and September 3. Tickets prices for the event were not available
at press time, though there will be Annual Passholder and Disney Vacation
Club member discounts for some dates.

Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party will be held on a record 20 nights
from mid-September through early November (up from 18 nights last year), running
September 14, 21, 28, and 30, October 4, 5, 8, 11, 12, 14, 16, 18, 21, 23,
25, 26, 28, 30, 31 and November 2. The September 30 and November 2 dates had
not been previously reported. Tickets for the event will be priced at $38.95
plus tax ($41.49) for adults and $32.95 plus tax ($35.10) for children ages
3-9 when purchased in advance for parties on September 14, 30, October 4,
8, 11 and 14 only. Tickets on the day of the party for those dates, and for
all tickets on all other dates will be priced at $45.95 plus tax ($48.94)
for adults and $39.95 ($42.55) plus tax for children ages 3-9. Annual passholders
and Disney Vacation Club members can buy advance tickets at a special discount
price of $35.95 plus tax ($38.29) for adults and $29.99 plus tax ($31.94)
for children ages 3-9, but for September 14 and October 4 only.

Note: Disney-MGM Studio's inaugural Tower of Terror fun run is on October 27, which is the last weekend in October. Although tickets for the party are historically very popular for Halloween night itself, expect tickets for that weekend (October 26 and 28) to be particularly popular among those who plan to go to WDW for the fun run.

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party will be held on a record 19 nights from
mid-November to late December (also up from 18 nights last year), running
November 12, 15, 16, 25, 27, 29, 30 and December 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 14,
16, 18, 20, and 21. The November 12 and 25 dates, as well as the December
2, 9 and 16 dates, are all one day earlier than originally reported. Tickets
for the event will be priced at $41.15 plus tax ($43.82) for adults and $33.95
plus tax ($36.16) for children ages 3-9 when purchased in advance for parties
on November 12, 15, 25, 27, 29, December 2, 4, 9, and 11 only. Tickets on
the day of the party for those dates, and for all tickets on all other dates
will be priced at $47.95 plus tax ($51.07) for adults and $40.95 ($43.62)
plus tax for children ages 3-9. Annual passholders and Disney Vacation Club
members can buy advance tickets at a special discount price of $37.95 plus
tax ($40.42) for adults and $30.95 plus tax ($32.96) for children ages 3-9,
but for November 15, 27, December 11 and 18 only.

Once again, the prices are going up and the discounts are rapidly disappearing.
If other trends from recent years continue, the additional perks for party
guests will also continue to decrease, as the parties become a worse and worse
deal for your dollar. I'll address the entire issue in a future feature column.

For those planning ahead, the Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party meet at
MouseFest 2007 is all but confirmed for
December 6.

The Project Tomorrow post-show area at Spaceship Earth is now open. Photo
by Stephen Kropf.

Spaceship Earth to close briefly, twice, then for extended period

The phased closings of Spaceship Earth
begin next week, as the attraction will have its first short closure from
May 7-10. Another short closure will take place from June 22-23, before the
major refurbishment begins on July 9. The attraction will then remain closed
through at least the end of October, and likely longer than that. In the meantime,
a new Web site, EpcotSpaceshipEarth.com,
has been set up to give some hints at what's to come (and to promote the attraction's
new sponsor, Siemens AG).

A giant sphere asks "Will cities run automatically in the future?"
at Project Tomorrow. Photo by Stephen Kropf.

First set of Playhouse Disney concert dates release

The Playhouse Disney in Concert series returns to the Disney-MGM
Studios as part of the Little Ones Travel Time Aug. 26-Oct. 28. It appears
that, unlike the daily concerts last year, the series will only feature concerts
on Thursday-Sunday for 2007.

The first set of dates has now been released:

Imagination Movers (Aug. 30-Sept. 2)

The Doodlebops (Sept. 6-9)

Playhouse Disney Live on Tour (Sept. 13-16)

TBA (Sept. 20-23)

TBA (Sept 27-30)

TBA (Oct 4-7)

Imagination Movers (Oct. 11-14)

Johnny & the Sprites (Oct. 18-21)

Dan Zanes and Friends (Oct. 25-28)

We'll post the rest of the dates as they're released.

Get your MousePlanet swag!

The MousePlanet.com store is now open for business
(link)!
You can get shirts, mugs, hats and even a Teddy Bear! Check it out and
show your MousePlanet pride! Now you can show everybody in the parks
what site you read!

A heartfelt "thank you"

I celebrated my birthday yesterday participating in the March of Dimes WalkAmerica
to help prevent birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality. Last
year, through your generosity we raised $2,525 in just four weeks. This year,
while we did not reach our ambitious goal of $4,000, we did get very close,
raising over $3,700 (pending arrival of the last few checks). I am proud to
say that MousePlanet readers and MouseStation and MousePlanetWatch podcast
listeners came through with over $1,600 of that total! Thank you all so much!
It's very fulfilling to know that our MousePlanet community can work together
to do such good things.

According to event organizers, the day's event raised somewhere between $160,00-$170,000.

If you were planning to donate but ran into the capacity problems that the
WalkAmerica site had last week, my fundraising
page should still be taking donations for another couple of weeks or so.
You can also just check it out for more information on why I walk, even if
you don't plan to donate. Thank you again for your support!

MousePlanet reader and podcast listener Matt Flannery, who was also walking
for March of Dimes, stopped by to wish Mark a happy birthday. Thanks, Matt!
Photo courtesy of Mark Goldhaber.

Bibbidi Bobbidi Castle Boutique

The second location for the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique will open inside Cinderella
Castle on September 10. The location's current tenant, The King's Gallery,
will close on July 15 and all merchandise will be moved to the several other
Arribas Brothers stores around property. Construction is to take place from
July 5 through September 1, and the Boutique will officially open on September
10. (Of course, it's entirely possible that there will be a soft opening from
September 2-9.)

As with the current location, reservations are highly recommended (407-WDW-STYLE/407-939-7895),
and can be made up to 180 days in advance. Reservations for the new Boutique
are now available.

Zagat releases WDW "Insider's Guide"

Zagat Survey has released the first edition of its Walt Disney World Insider's
Guide. Based on the opinions of almost 5,000 reviewers, the guide covers attractions,
restaurants, shops and hotels. Not surprisingly, the survey's audiencewhich skews toward the high-end of the income spectrumfound Victoria
& Albert's to have the best food and the Grand
Floridian to be the resort with the best service.

The book is now
available, though those used to planning their trips with more extensive
guides such as the Unofficial
Guide or Passporter
are likely to be disappointed by the length and depth of the content. However,
for its target market of regular Zagat readers, it will probably be just fine.

Disney Cruise Line officially signs contract for two new ships

On February 22, we reported that
Disney had signed a letter of intent with the Meyer Werft shipyard to negotiate
a contract for the construction of two new ships. That negotiation has been
completed, and Disney Cruise Line President Tom McAlpin and Meyer Werft Managing
Partner Bernard Meyer signed the contract in front of several hundred cheering
cast members last Monday.

"Expanding our fleet will give us the flexibility to offer a variety of itineraries
in the future," McAlpin said. "We are looking forward to taking our guests
on new adventures to different parts of the world with Disney Cruise Line."

The ships are scheduled to launch in 2011 and 2012.

Vertical construction of the new restaurant at Disney's Animal Kingdom has moved out toward the construction wall. Photo by Stephen Kropf.

Menus wanted!

Want to help MousePlanet upgrade our park guides?
We're looking to add menu information for all restaurants to our Walt
Disney World Park Guide (link). Send
photos or scans of menus (no fair copying from other Web sites) to menus@mouseplanet.com
(link). Please note that
there is a 5MB limit on total attachments in a single e-mail.

Disney tries out "8th Grade Grad Jam"

Disney is trying out a new program called the "Disney 8th Grade Grad Jam."
Patterned after the Blast-Off parties held prior to the start of Grad Nite
at the Magic Kingdom, the Disney
Youth Groups site proclaims:

Graduating Middle School Can Be Quite A Ride...

Give your 8th Grade graduates a magical night to remember at Disney 8th
Grade Grad Jam. Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park at the Walt Disney World
Resort is exciting new territory for graduates to unite with friends and
celebrate their journey from middle school to beyond!

The event, which runs from 7 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. on May 4, includes access
to Expedition Everest, Kali River Rapids, Primeval Whirl, Triceratops Spin
and Dinosaur; a DJ dance party in Dinoland; and refreshments including burgers,
hot dogs, garden salad, chips and lemonade.

Tickets cost $35.95 for both students and chaperons, plus tax when applicable.
Groups get 1 free ticket per each 10 purchased.

The event takes place after the park's normal closing time, so there will
be no effect on regular park operations. While it seems that Disney is searching
for every little oppportunity to create special events, it's certain that
there will be many who are thrilled at the opportunity to go play in a theme
park after-hours without their families and then stay overnight at a Disney
hotel before heading back home. We'll have to see how this one plays out.

To be called the Anandapur Yak & Yeti Restaurant, it's scheduled to open
later this year. Photo by Stephen Kropf.

Small kids may not be up for Gaylord Pirates Treasure Hunt

New York Times travel consumer advocate and blogger Chris Elliott took his family to a soft
opening of the Pirates Treasure Hunt at the Gaylord Palms. If you're
considering attending the event, be aware that it sounds very similar to
a MouseAdventure and that kids under age 10
may not be up for the hunt itself (though they may enjoy the pirate characters
walking around).

Quick takes

The new Game Station arcade on the north end of the Contemporary
Resort's concourse officially opens today. Early reviews of the soft opening
over the weekend have been less than glowing. If you happen to visit the new
arcade, please let
us know what you think.

Plenty of tickets are still left at all price levels for the first
regular-season Major League Baseball games to be held at Disney's
Wide World of Sports Complex. The Texas Rangers will be visiting the Tampa
Bay Devil Rays at The Ballpark May 15-17. Ticket prices range from $15 lawn
seats to $119 seats behind the dugouts.

Work began Friday on refurbishment of the Calypso pool at the All
Star Music Resort. The accessible chair lift and transfer station will
be replaced, along with other general touch-up work. Similar work on the Fantasia
pool at All Star Movies took about five
months. In the meantime, All-Star Music guests may continue to use the "quiet"
pools as well as the main pools at the other All-Star resorts.

Blizzard Beach will be the first water
park to be closed for refurbishment this year, closing on October 28.
Typhoon Lagoon will close for its annual refurbishment when Blizzard Beach
reopens in late December or early January.

Progress is being made as negotiations continue between Disney and
the Service Trades Council Union. The two sides are coming to tentative agreements
on many areas, and they have agreed to extend the existing contract until
midnight Saturday. Negotiations continue tomorrow.

All-Star Music Resort  Work began
Friday on refurbishment of the Calypso pool. The accessible chair lift and
transfer station will be replaced, along with other general touch-up work.
Similar work on the Fantasia pool at All Star Movies took about five months.
In the meantime, All-Star Music guests may continue to use the "quiet" pools
as well as the main pools at the other All-Star resorts. All buildings not
containing Family Suites are being renovated between January and June.

Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa 
Phase I's four buildings and Phase II's eight units are complete, Construction
on the six buildings of Phase III is underway, with all six units expected
to be completed in late 2007. The new buildings will comprise two additional
sections, to be called The Carousel and The Grandstand. The two buildings
in The Carousel have been completed, and the four in The Grandstand are
well underway.

June 2008

Free dining plan is back for late AugustSeptember

Disney is offering a new free dining package for trips beginning August 26
through September 22. Minimum stay will be three nights and a minimum one-day
theme park ticket per person is required to get the free dining package for
the length of your stay. Just remember that this is during peak hurricane
season, which is why Disney needs to offer this promotion to get people to
visit the parks and stay on property. While the odds of a hurricane interrupting
or cancelling your vacation are low, you may want to take advantage of the
trip insurance offered by Disney, just in case. Packages must be booked by
June 24.

Passholder and Florida resident rates

Annual passholders and Florida residents have discount codes for room-only
and package stays for mid-April through late May, available for booking through
the end of the promotional period, subject to availability. Passholder and
resident discount dates are for most nights through May 24. Passholder rates
start as low as $74 per night for value resorts, while Florida resident rates
are as low as $79 per night for values. Full hook-up campsites for RVs start
at $55 per night for passholders, $60 per night for Florida residents.

Hotel Royal Plaza offers discounts to MousePlanet readers

We'd like to welcome the Hotel Royal Plaza as a new MousePlanet sponsor.
As part of our new relationship, the Royal Plaza has created a special offer
just for MousePlanet readers! From now through the end of the year, anyone
booking
their stay through the MousePlanet web site will receive discounted rates
up to 20 percent off on all room types.

The completely-remodeled 394-room resort is located on Hotel Plaza Boulevard,
just a few minutes' walk from Downtown Disney. Bus service to all Walt Disney
World theme parks is included with your stay. Their Giraffe Caf restaurant,
Giraffe Tavern sports bar, Marketessen deli-style caf and Sips Pool Bar are
ready to serve you. And children 10 and under eat breakfast for free!

And so we'd like to thank the Hotel Royal Plaza for joining the MousePlanet
family, and invite you to try
their hospitality.

Disney's Price Slice golf rates are back

Disney's popular summer golf discount program, Disney's Price Slice, will
return from May 14 through September 27. During that time, a round of golf
at any of the Walt Disney World courses
will be less expensive after 10 a.m. daily, due to the heat of the summer
season. The Magnolia, Palm, Eagle Pines and Osprey Ridge courses will carry
a fee of $55, while the Lake Buena Vista course will cost $45. Rates include
the use of an electric cart, and are $34-$44 cheaper than regular rates.

The rates include the use of an electric cart and are discounted from the
before-10 a.m. prices of $99 for resort guests/$109 for day visitors (Magnolia
and Osprey Ridge), $89 for resort guests/$99 for day visitors (Palm and Eagle
Pines) and $79 for resort guests/$89 for day visitors (Lake Buena Vista).
To reserve a tee time, call 407-WDW-GOLF (407-939-4653) or go to the Disney
Golf Web site (link).
Note that the site's front page still appears to have difficulty with browsers
other than Internet Explorer. Once you get past the front page, you should
be all right.

Magic Your Way ticket price guide

Walt Disney World's entire ticket price structure changed as of January 2,
2005, to the new Magic Your Way passes, and prices increased on
January 1, 2006, and again on August 6, 2006. Advance purchase discounts are
only available on tickets above the base ticket of at least 4 days, with higher
discounts on those tickets with both options. Prices do not include 6.5% Florida
sales tax.

Mark (@MPMark) is a veteran of dozens of trips to Walt Disney World starting in 1972, with a few Disneyland trips thrown in for good measure. As a Disney stockholder and a Disney Vacation Club member, Mark is always in touch with what's going on with The Mouse. Mark serves as MousePlanet's Walt Disney World content coordinator. Mark is a senior information technology manager working for the State of New York. He lives in the suburbs outside Albany, New York, with his wife and son.

MousePlanet® is not associated in any official way with the Walt Disney Company, its subsidiaries, or its affiliates. The official Disney site is available at www.disney.com. This MousePlanet Web site provides independent news articles, commentary, editorials, reviews, and guides primarily about the theme park resorts of the Walt Disney Co. All information on this site is subject to change. Please call destinations in advance to confirm the most up-to-date information.